Stagonospora infection - collected threads

[Alan_b]

Here is a sad story prompted by Hagen's beautiful pictures of all-white snowdrop:

Last year I found this beautifull all-white snowdrop.  Even the insides of the inner petals were largely white.

This year it has totally normal green markings  !

I don't know if the loss of colour was a one-off or something that happens from time to time.  What could have caused it?  Mark reckons that stress can cause green marks to appear, so maybe this plant had one year of total relaxation?   

[Martin Baxendale]

You pay what you bid, Anthony. And I don't like it either. As I've said before, if I was a professional grower I'd take those five bulbs and chip them instead of selling them, until I had more like enough to meet the demand at a reasonable price. That's how you build a successful long-term business and make more money in the long run and also (more importantly to my mind) avoid disappointing the majority of your customers. But I think there's also an element of maintaining the mystique and exclusivity going on.

[mark smyth]

post894 now has the missing names added - thanks Carole

[mark smyth]

Alan I think it was John Grimshaw who told be green tips are a sign of stress. It can be seen frequently on garden centre snowdrops

[Maggi Young]

So, are green tips ALWAYS a sign of stress, or only sometimes? This would mean that snowies such as Pusey Green Tips were in a constant state of anxiety, then, since this is pretty constant feature, isn't it? Poor little things, obviously don't know if they're coming or going

[Anthony Darby]

Hi ,

here is now a pic from today from my garden :

Galanthus ikariae

.....not all know the true species

There is no sign of my ikariae clump this year, but then last year was a bad one for bulb fly.

[mark smyth]

only when they dont come back the second year! I've been told that a green tipped snowdrop should be grown for a couple of years before getting excited.

I found a gorgeous tiny nivalis two years ago. Last year although still tiny it had lost all the extra green

[mark smyth]

Anthony do have have Narcissus fly problems? For how long?

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony do have have Narcissus fly problems? For how long?

They are later in appearing than yours Mark but continue into June.

[mark smyth]

Here's nivalis 'Mini Me' not with green tips as I remembered but with extra green shading inside. For comparison in the second photo my thumb nail is 1.5cm left to right. Fingers crossed for this year

[Paddy Tobin]

Anthony,

For your information, G. ikariae is just peeping above ground here at the moment.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

For your information, G. ikariae is just peeping above ground here at the moment.

I've half a mind to move to Ireland 

not with green tips as I remembered but with extra green shading inside

The one with green shading  has a really heart shaped lower mark- very neat-  looks completely different in the second shot without shading - lower mark has changed shape too.  These things just do as they please, don't they?

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony,

For your information, G. ikariae is just peeping above ground here at the moment.

Paddy

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[Martin Baxendale]

Anthony, I have lots of snowdrops failing to appear above ground this year, including whole clumps. It can't just be narcissus fly. I reckon it's down the wet summer. Don't know about you up there but down here the soil was saturated for much of the summer, after the bulbs died down early in the parched hot spring, so were probably already weakened - the exact opposite of what they like; a nice wet spring and a dry summer rest.

[Diane Whitehead]

Martin, I hope some of your fantastic seedlings aren`t only numbers. A good kind must have a name, an animation for fantasy. Only you know the best and can compare!!!

I would be interested in a thread where some seedlings are judged online,
and perhaps compared to a named one that is similar.  For instance, a group
of long outers, or green tips, or yellow ovaries.  This would be an exercise to
follow on from the bloom season as it would require some quiet time and it's
rather frenzied at the moment.